Double the Fun: Da Vinci Waldorf School & Creative Arts Studio Partner for Summer Art Camps!

Da Vinci Waldorf School and Creative Arts Studio have joined forces to offer even more opportunities for children interested in art activities this summer!

Creative Arts in Crystal Lake hosts 20-25 summer campers weekly from June to August and consistently has a waitlist of kids hoping to join our amazing art camps. Now that Da Vinci Waldorf School has generously opened its doors for an additional five weeks of summer camp in June and July, there’s no more waiting!

Wauconda art campers will enjoy drawing, painting, and more led by Creative Arts Coordinator, Thomas Egger, in these new 9 am-1 pm day camps. With outdoor playground time (on over 8 acres of campus!) and fun animal visitors each week to inspire their creativity, these camps promise an unforgettable experience.

Find out more or register now at creativeartsinc.org.

Get more details about all of our Summer Camps.

Many Da Vinci Waldorf families attend Creative Arts classes and even carpool after school to their art classes.

We are thrilled at the opportunity to offer our students these classes in our own ‘backyard’!

We recently sat down with Sam Sieber, Director of Creative Arts, Inc., to learn more about the Creative Arts Studio and its philosophy.

Creative arts studio partnership | da vinci waldorf summer camp art classes

What is Creative Arts?

Creative Arts Inc. is a nonprofit art studio offering art classes for ages 6 to adult, as well as art camps and community events.  Over 40 weekly classes are offered in drawing, painting, sculpting, crochet, sewing, stained glass, digital art, and more.  Art camps are available during school breaks.

The studio’s mission is to provide exceptional quality art instruction in order to build skills and explore art forms, while nurturing the creativity of individuals at all ability levels.  Creative Arts serves 150-220 individuals per week at its Crystal Lake location and 50 students currently at its Woodstock location.

How did it begin and when was it started? Have you expanded since then?

Established in 2011 as a nonprofit art studio, Creative Arts offers a variety of classes for children, teens, and adults. The studio started in the house behind the Dole Mansion in Crystal Lake, with about 15 classes with 5 instructors, and now has over 40 classes with 14 instructors, plus annual art shows, events, and art camps. Weekly art classes include painting, drawing, sculpting, sewing, stained glass, and digital art.

In March 2024, the studio expanded to include a satellite location in Woodstock, just off the Square.  The new second location will allow more individuals’ access to art classes, and help expand the Creative Arts community.  The Woodstock studio was made possible by a generous anonymous donor who supplied a grant of $30,000 to cover the first year of operating costs.

This summer, the studio is partnering with DaVinci Waldorf School in Wauconda to increase access to summer art camps.

What is the long term vision for this nonprofit studio and how can the community help? Do you rely on donations? How do you receive funding?

The long term vision for Creative Arts is to foster sustainable growth of existing programs, and stable expansion into related programs, that serve the community through art and educational opportunities.  The community can help by volunteering, spreading the word about the studio’s programs, and donating towards art supplies, programs, or scholarships.

Donations and grants fund the creation of new programs and outreach efforts, while current classes are sustained by class fees and donated scholarship fees.  For example, iPads and iMacs for the Digital Art program, and sewing machines for the Fiber Arts program, were purchased with grant and donation funds.  The Crystal Lake Lions Club generously donates year-long scholarships for students in financial need, and private donors also contribute towards scholarships, so that no student is turned away due to financial difficulty.

Grants from The Community Foundation for McHenry County and anonymous donors, as well as donations from private individuals, make Creative Arts possible.  Class fees cover some basic operating costs, but funding for all expansion efforts including new classes, new events, and new camps is completely dependent on grants and donations.

What is your favorite part about being the Director?

I love seeing the students’ faces light up when they learn a new skill or finish a piece of art they are proud of.  The studio is also a great work environment; I get to interact with people who love art and love teaching.  I am excited to be a part of this inclusive, welcoming space, and excited to help it grow.

What do you think Creative Arts does for the community, families, the child, etc.? Why is art important?

Creative Arts studio strives to create a community space where people feel free to be themselves and create art.  The variety of instructors and mediums means that students can find a great fit, whether they like more freeform classes or more structured instruction, and whether they enjoy traditional arts, fiber arts, or digital art.  Children, teens, and adults all need a place to find their passion, and Creative Arts studio can provide that.

Creative Arts studio’s goal is to “Build Community, Make Art.” What better place to make art than at Da Vinci Waldorf School where art is weaved through the entire curriculum.

To donate your time, money, or art supplies to Creative Arts, visit here.

Creative arts studio partnership | da vinci waldorf summer camp art classes
Morgan Branson
Morgan Branson
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